By Mike Szostech Last updated
As costs of food and interest rates rise across the country, Canadians are looking for ways to save money in 2023. Buying one of the best air fryers in Canada can help you prepare restaurant style food right in your own kitchen. In fact, air fryers have become even more popular than the Instant Pot among millennials (src).
The increase in popularity has brought new brands and models into the space, and Instant brand created an Instant Pot with an air-fryer lid, as well as a large air fryer oven. Ninja wasn’t to be left behind, and they also have a large air fryer oven as well as two other models that are the best selling air fryers in Canada. Kitchen-known brands like Philips and Cuisinart have also entered the space.
An air fryer can cook food quickly, evenly, and with much less oil than a deep fryer does. Plus, since they are smaller, they use less energy (aka. they cost less to use) than a full size oven. Of course, that’s assuming you weren’t cooking a whole oven’s worth of food.
From the hundreds of models of air fryers, here is our round up of the best air fryers in Canada for most people. We looked at air fryer reviews and air fryer ratings in Canada and we compared some practical aspects – like cooking capacity and cooking power – to come up with our recommendations for the top air fryers.
We’ve come up with recommendations for the best air fryer overall, the best budget air fryer, as well as the best rated air fryer in Canada. Keep reading to see how we came to those conclusions.
Best Air Fryer Canada Comparisons:
Hey Canada! This section helps you compare the features of these products to help you choose the best option for you! Click on the product name to jump down to that specific review.
Cooking Power
When choosing the best air fryer in Canada for your family, cooking power is an important consideration. While the air fryer's wattage rating doesn't make or break the deal, it does translate into how fast the machine will pre-heat, and how fast it will fry your meal.
Contrary to what some whip-it-up-quick best air fryer in Canada review sites say about power consumption, a high powered air fryer doesn't cost more to run, and a low powered air fryer doesn't save you energy costs. Cooking lots of food in a low-powered unit just takes longer to cook your food, or it doesn't even do a very good job of air frying. The only time a high-powered, large, air fryer will cost you slightly more is if you are cooking a small batch in a large machine.
Also keep in mind that a larger air fryer will need a higher power rating because it is trying to heat and cook a larger space and more food. If you find a bargain on an air fryer, be sure that it has a reasonable cooking power. An easy way to cut costs in manufacturing (which then makes it seem cheaper to the consumer) would be to provide an under-powered machine that will leave you with a less-than-crispy surprise.
Capacity
In our opinion, cooking capacity is where the toaster-oven style air fryers really shine! The small pod shaped air fryers don't always have a tiny cooking capacity, but a tall space isn't what you want for crispy foods - to make foods the crispiest, they need to be spread out not stacked up. Those pod air fryers can only fit a couple chicken legs at a time.
A convection toaster oven style is the best air fryer for giving you a large cooking surface for laying out your foods. Of course, they take up a bigger area on your counter too - but if you're cooking for more than a couple, it's the only option that makes enough for a family.
Dimensions
For many, counter space in the kitchen is at a premium. If that's you, then the best air fryer in Canada will be the one that fits in the space you have available. The toaster oven style air fryers take up more counter space than the pod shaped ones, but they also have less cooking capacity. We caution against purchasing a large toaster style air fryer, unless you plan on leaving it on your counter all the time. With the thought of pulling it out when you need it and storing it when you don't - these are quite heavy with the larger models weighing over 30 pounds - if it's too heavy for you to move easily, you won't use it as often (if you're anything like us!). Of course, if you consider that you can use the oven style fryers as a toaster as well, perhaps you can get rid of your toaster and make enough space on your counter for the oven style air fryers.
Accessories
How we chose the Best Air Fryer in Canada
The first requirement to earn a spot in the best air fryer in Canada list is that the air fryer needs to be available in Canada! AmazonBasics sells a very popular and highly rated machine, but it seems to be only available in the USA so we didn’t include it in the list.
Some of the models, like the Philips Air Fryer, have been around for years and have sold millions of air fryers with only slight tweaks – the current version is listed and it has a slightly smaller footprint than the previous version without giving up cooking capacity.
We looked at customer reviews, and we looked at popular review sites like Consumer Reports and Wirecutter to get an idea of the models that showed up most often. We then filtered those to find ones that sold at a reasonable price in Canada (equivalent to the exchange rate from USA to CDN without a huge markup).
What we were left with is these top options for an air fryer in Canada – we hope this review saves you the time of doing all of that digging and comparing yourself!
Best Overall - Cosori Air Fryer Canada
Typically about $15 or $20 more than the Ninja Air Fryer below, this one from Cosori has some high-end features that we think are worth the extra cost.
The Cosori Air Fryer is the #1 best seller in the Deep Fryers category and it has over 26000 reviews! It has a host of features that usually only come on more expensive air fryers.
One of the features that sets the Cosori apart at this price point is it's pre-heat option, which only takes 2-5 minutes, but makes the outside of the food cook even more like in a deep fryer!
Plus, this 5.8 quart capacity air fryer is available in red, black, or white so it can be be a workhorse and a showpiece on your kitchen counter.
Get the best price Cosori Air Fryer in Canada from:
Best Overall - Cosori Air Fryer Canada review details:
Cosori Air Fryer Reviews
National Post ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Overall' in their product review. [September 2022]
One of the most popular air fryers on the market
Food network ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Value' in their product review. [November 2022]
12 cooking functions and a large capacity. Plus the basket is completely removable making this machine very easy to clean.
NYMag – Strategist ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Overall Air Fryer' in their product review. [September 2022]
It does everything you want an air fryer to do!
TechRadar ranked it as the #2 on their list claiming it was the 'Best budget air fryer' in their product review. [November 2022]
Produces crisp fries and chicken wings with a sleek design, but struggles with cooking frozen foods.
Cnet ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Budget Air Fryer' in their product review. [November 2022]
Best Selling Air Fryer - Ninja Air Fryer Canada
Ninja has really dominated the kitchen appliance market in recent years, and their basket-style air fryer is no exception! It's the best selling air fryer over and over again.
It's not much more money than a no-name brand air fryer, and it has great reviews for making crispy food favorites.
Meet the Ninja Air Fryer, a fast and easy way to cook your favorite foods. Cook and crisp 2 lbs. of French fries, using little to no oil in a family-sized 4-quart basket.
Get the best price Ninja Air Fryer AF101C in Canada from:
Best Selling Air Fryer - Ninja Air Fryer Canada review details:
Ninja Air Fryer AF101C Reviews
Consumer Reports [August 2022]
This air fryer is a bit on the noisy side (comparable to a countertop microwave), but it performed well and it's controls are easy to use.
Food Network - Best Mid-size Air Fryer [November 2022]
This model is sturdy, compact and feels like it’s made of quality materials, a boon when a lot of air fryer models can feel like they’re made of flimsy plastic that gets too hot to touch.
NYMag – Strategist - Best basket-style multifunctional air fryer [September 2022]
Best Large Air Fryer - Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Dual Basket
There are now a few other dual-basket air fryers, but none can compete with this one from Ninja. We wish the baskets were different sizes (there is a no-name brand air fryer with a 3.5qt and 6.5qt basket), but other than that we have no complaints about this air fryer.
The first air fryer with 2 independent baskets that lets you cook 2 foods, 2 ways, at the same time, not back to back like a traditional single-basket air fryer. Dualzone technology features smart finish feature for cooking 2 foods 2 ways that finish at the same time, and a match cook button to easily copy settings across zones for full 8 quart capacity
Get the best price Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Air Fryer in Canada from:
Best Large Air Fryer - Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Dual Basket review details:
Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Air Fryer Reviews
National Post ranked it as the #2 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Family Size Air Fryer' in their product review. [September 2022]
2 baskets for independent cooking or combine for 1 large batch
Food Network ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Dual Basket' in their product review. [November 2022]
NYMag - Strategist - Best air fryer with dual baskets [September 2022]
TechRadar ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Premium Air Fryer' in their product review. [November 2022]
Large capacity, with dual zone versatility, but takes up a large chunk of space on your counter.
CNet ranked it as the #2 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Large Air Fryer' in their product review. [November 2022]
Most Versatile - Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven
Using the same cooking method as an air fryer - hot air circulated by a fan - this large toaster oven provides more cooking versatility than a typical air fryer, and depending on your taste, it's non-space-pod-shape can blend in with a traditional kitchen more easily.
We also love that this air fryer can fit a 9x13 pan for general baking needs. Of course, the size and features means that it costs more - almost $400. If you're looking for a convection toaster oven style air fryer, Cuisinart has a slightly smaller convection air fryer model for only $200 as well.
With a spacious 0.95 cubic-foot capacity oven, you can fit a 13" pizza or 9" x 13" baking pans. 15 cooking functions, including innovative dual cook, and speed convection provide features for cooking virtually anything you want. Digital controls with large blue backlit display and LED buttons and BPA free materials make this convection toaster oven safe and easy to use.
Get the best price Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven in Canada from:
Most Versatile - Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven review details:
Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven Reviews
Wirecutter ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Better than an air fryer' in their product review. [April 2021]
The Cuisinart’s large capacity, multiple fan speeds, and useful accessories make it a far more versatile appliance for air frying than any of the pod-shaped air fryers we tested.
Large Air Fryer Oven - Foodi XL Pro Air Fryer
One of the top 5 best selling air fryers in Canada! If you need the biggest air fryer, you'll probably want to skip the basket style and go for a large capacity air fryer oven.
Meet the Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Oven the extra-large toaster oven and air fry oven with True Surround Convection. You get up to 10X the convection power of a traditional full-size convection oven, so you can make quick family meals on 2 levels, no rotating required. Plus, it features 10 cooking functions: Air Fry, Whole Roast, Air Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Pizza, Broil, Toast, Bagel, and Reheat.
Get the best price Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fryer DT201C in Canada from:
Large Air Fryer Oven - Foodi XL Pro Air Fryer review details:
Philips Premium Air Fryer
The Philips air fryer is trusted by millions around the world - over 10 million of these air fryers have been sold worldwide!
Now you can Fry your favorite foods with little or no added oil and remove fat from food, too. Philips Airfryer also creates less smell and splattering than conventional fryers, is easy to clean, safe and economical for your daily use.
Get the best price Philips Premium Twin Turbostar Digital Airfryer in Canada from:
Philips Premium Air Fryer review details:
Philips Premium Twin Turbostar Digital Airfryer Reviews
Wirecutter ranked it as the #2 on their list claiming it was the 'The best pod-shaped air fryer' in their product review. [November 2022]
Relatively small footprint, easy to use, cooks food more evenly than other similar models
TechRadar ranked it as the #4 on their list claiming it was the 'Perfect for large capacity air frying' in their product review. [November 2022]
National Post ranked it as the #4 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Splurge' in their product review. [September 2022]
Air frying with fat removable technology, includes monthly virtual cooking classes.
What about a pressure cooker with air fryer feature?
Both Ninja and Instant Pot Canada make a pressure cooker with a special air fryer lid. These are great options for people that want the most functionality out of a single appliance – we’re thinking someone with a small kitchen and limited counter space.
However, as with most things in life, the trade-off is that these machines just don’t ‘fry’ as well as an air fryer that has space to spread the food out.
Are air fryers with a stirring paddle any good?
T-fal seems to be the company that is convinced the stir-paddle method is the best way to ensure even cooking inside an air-fryer. While the concept is great, it depends on what you’re cooking.
If it’s something delicate, like french fries or breaded fish sticks, the paddle will likely break and mush them up. On the other hand, something like chicken wings could handle the stirring and should result in a nice air fryer finish.
For delicate items to keep their shape, and their appeal, we recommend a convection oven air fryer, or at least, a basket style air fryer where the food can be placed in the basket and the hot air can still circulate around all edges of the good.
T-fal ActiFry Genius Air Fryer
Amazon.caThere are now newer models, like this one that have programmed options for the stirring paddle for different types of food. That might have improved the cooking quality, but we still didn't feel comfortable listing it as a best air fryer in Canada choice. If automated stirring sounds appealing to you, this air fryer even offers 2 separate cooking compartments.
Most toaster-oven air fryers come with better accessories, too, like a baking pan, an air fryer basket, or multiple oven racks.